Subskill #9 Construct Meaning: Conclusions Part II

Study the table below and then answer the questions. This table was taken from the Beautiful.

Highest Dams (Source: U.S. Society on Dams Register of Dams)

Dam / River / Location / Height / Year Completed
Oroville / Feather / California / 770 ft. (235 m.) / 1968
Hoover / Colorado / Nevada / 730 ft. (223 m.) / 1936
Dworshak / N. Ford Clearwater / Idaho / 717 ft. (219 m.) / 1973
Glen Canyon / Colorado / Arizona / 710 ft. (216 m.) / 1964
New Bullards Bar / North Yuba / California / 645 ft. (197 m.) / 1969
Seven Oaks / Santa Ana / California / 632 ft. (193 m.) / 1999
New Melones / Stanislaus / California / 625 ft. (191 m.) / 1979
Mossyrock / Cowlitz / Washington / 606 ft. (185 m.) / 1968
Shasta / Sacramento / California / 602 ft. (183 m.) / 1945
Don Pedro / Tuolumne / California / 585 ft. (178 m.) / 1971
Hungry Horse / S. Fork Flathead / Montana / 564 ft. (172 m.) / 1953
Grand Coulee / Columbia / Washington / 550 ft. (168 m.) / 1942
Ross / Skagit / Washington / 540 ft. (165 m.) / 1949
Trinity / Trinity / California / 538 ft. (164 m.) / 1962
Yellowtail / Bighorn / Montana / 525 ft. (160 m.) / 1966
Cougar / S. Fork McKenzie / Oregon / 519 ft. (158 m.) / 1964
Flaming Gorge / Green / Utah / 502 ft. (153 m.) / 1964

Now choose the best answer for each question.

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Subskill #9 Construct Meaning: Conclusions Part II

  1. According to the table, what can probably be said about the Seven Oaks Dam?
  2. It has the most modern technology.
  3. It is the highest dam.
  4. It is the oldest dam.
  5. It is the most interesting dam.
  1. According to the table, why is the Flaming Gorge Dam placed last?
  2. It is the oldest dam
  3. It is the highest dam
  4. It is the least high dam.
  5. It is the greatest in volume.
  1. According to the table, what can probably be said about the state of California?
  2. It gets all its power from dams.
  3. It has the prettiest dams.
  4. It has the oldest dam.
  5. It gets most of its power from dams.
  6. What can we conclude about the dams not listed on the table?
  7. They are too high to be included.
  8. They are not high enough to be included.
  9. They are too old to be included.
  10. They are not old enough to be included.
  11. According to the table, which part of the United States would you say contains the most dams?
  12. The North
  13. The South
  14. The West
  15. The East

Vocational Preparatory InstructionReading

Subskill #9 Construct Meaning: Conclusions Part II

Read the passage below and then answer the questions. This excerpt was taken from .

This cartoon reflects the origin of the term gerrymander. In 1812, the Massachusetts legislature rearranged the senatorial districts to favor the Democratic-Republican party. One oddly shaped district was caricatured as a salamander and dubbed a "gerrymander" after Gov. Elbridge Gerry, who signed the redistricting bill (The Bettmann Archive).

A gerrymander is an election district that has been redrawn by the party in power for its own political advantage. The word originated in 1812, when the Massachusetts legislature redistricted the state so as to favor the Democratic-Republicans in state senatorial elections. One of the new districts was particularly sprawling. An artist jokingly added wings, claws, and teeth to its outline, prompting the suggestion that it resembled a salamander. Benjamin Russell, a staunchly Federalist newspaper editor, gave it the name Gerrymander, referring to the Democratic-Republican governor, Elbridge Gerry.

The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that legislative districts must contain roughly equal numbers of people, but legislatures are still permitted to draw district lines so as to favor a particular party or faction. That practice was qualified, however, in Shaw v. Reno (1993), where the Court accepted a constitutional challenge to North Carolina's new 12th Congressional District, a so-called "minority district" winding 240 km (150 mi) through mostly black communities along Interstate 85. The Court reaffirmed its decision regarding this district in Shaw v. Hunt (1996). In Miller v. Johnson (1995), a Georgia case, the Court ruled further that electoral districts drawn to assure fair representation of blacks and other minorities were unconstitutional if race was the "predominant factor" used in drawing them. In Bush v. Vera (1996), Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, writing for the plurality in a 54 opinion, invalidated three Texas congressional districts, ruling that race was a predominant factor in their creation. The boundaries of the districts, wrote Justice O'Connor, "convey the message that political identity is, or should be, predominantly racial."

Now choose the best answer for each question.

Vocational Preparatory InstructionReading

Subskill #9 Construct Meaning: Conclusions Part II

  1. The passage leads us to conclude that:
  1. Gerrymandering is always in the shape of a salamander
  2. Gerrymandering is prevalent in today’s politics
  3. Gerrymandering stopped in 1996
  4. Gerrymandering is illegal
  1. What does the word “sprawling” mean in the passage?
  2. It means having wings, claws, and teeth.
  3. It means resembling a salamander.
  4. It means covering a large area.
  5. It means staunchly Federalist.
  1. From the article, we can conclude that the purpose of gerrymandering is:
  2. To create an election district to obtain more votes
  3. To rule that legislative districts must contain the same number of people
  4. To redraw the districts in the shape of a salamander
  5. To elect Democratic-Republican governors
  1. In the phrase “One oddly shaped district was caricatured as a salamander and dubbed a gerrymander,” what does “dubbed” mean?
  2. It means to rerecord sound.
  3. It means to confer a title or rank upon.
  4. It means to call, name, or nickname.
  5. It means to hit, strike, or thrust.
  1. From the passage, you can conclude that:
  2. Sandra Day O’Connor is a member of the Texas Congregational District.
  3. Sandra Day O’Connor is North Carolina’s new congresswoman.
  4. Sandra Day O’Connor is a Democrat-Republican.
  5. Sandra Day O’Connor is a member of the US Supreme Court.

Vocational Preparatory InstructionReading

Subskill #9 Construct Meaning: Conclusions Part II

Answer Key

  1. A
  2. C
  3. D
  4. B
  5. C
  6. B
  7. C
  8. A
  9. C
  10. D

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